Global inventory warehouse

ABSTRACT

Building and maintaining an accurate and up-to-date global inventory of hardware, software, and telecommunications assets deployed throughout an organization is described. A global inventor warehouse (GIW) receives an identification and physical location of these assets from multiple source systems. Some of these source systems contain information pertaining to the assets that has been manually entered into the source system by a human administrator. Other source systems, meanwhile, contain information that has been automatically collected by the source systems without human intervention. The GIW receives this information from the source systems and stores it within a GIW database. The GIW database may thus contain a global inventory of all or nearly all of the hardware, software, and telecommunications assets distributed throughout the organization. This database may also contain an identification of physical locations within the organization of all or substantially all of these assets.

STATEMENT OF RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority to, pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/680,464, entitled “GLOBAL INVENTORYWAREHOUSE”, filed on Feb. 28, 2007, which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to building, maintaining, and managing aninventory of hardware, software, and telecommunications assetsdistributed throughout an organization.

BACKGROUND

In the wake of recent disasters—both natural and man-made—businesscontinuity planning has become increasingly important to manyorganizations. Disasters such as floods, hurricanes, tsunamis,tornadoes, terrorist attacks, prolonged power outages, and the like cancause significant disruptions to an organization. Business continuityplanning (or BCP) is a methodology used to create a plan for how anorganization will resume partially or completely interrupted criticalfunction(s) within a predetermined time after a disaster or disruption.BCP was used in many industries to anticipate and handle potentialcomputing problems introduced by crossing into the new millennium in2000, a situation generally known as the Y2k problem. Regulatoryagencies subsequently required certain important industries—power,telecommunication, health, and financial—to formalize BCP manuals toprotect the public. Those new regulations are often based on theformalized standards defined under ISO/IEC 17799 or BS 7799.

Although business focus on BCP arguably waned somewhat following the Y2Ktransition (mainly due to its success), the lack of interestunequivocally ended on Sep. 11, 2001, when simultaneous terroristattacks devastated lower New York City. Many critical functions for manydifferent organizations were lost and not restored for sometime. Thistragic event changed the worst case scenario paradigm for businesscontinuity planning.

Today, BCP may be a part of a larger organizational effort to reduceoperational risk associated with poor information security controls, andthus has a number of overlaps with the practice of risk management.However, the scope of BCP extends beyond information security only. Partof good business continuity planning includes an accurate accounting ofcomputing assets and resources that an organization possesses. Manyorganizations track their hardware assets by manually placing bar codelabels on computers, monitors, etc. and then scanning those labels tocreate an electronic record of the assets. Unfortunately, over time,this data becomes stale as computers and monitors are moved or replaced,and applications are updated, deleted, or changed out. Moreover, theprocess of collecting the information initially is manually intensiveand prone to inaccuracies.

Accordingly, there remains a need for improved techniques in buildingand maintaining a current and accurate inventory of computing resourceswithin an organization.

SUMMARY

Building and maintaining an accurate and up-to-date global inventory ofhardware, software, and telecommunications assets deployed throughout anorganization is described. In one aspect, a global inventory warehousereceives an identification and physical location of these assets frommultiple source systems. Some of these source systems containinformation pertaining to the assets that has been manually entered intothe source system by a human administrator. Other source systems,meanwhile, contain information pertaining to the assets that has beenautomatically collected by the source systems without humanintervention. The global inventory warehouse receives this informationfrom the source systems and stores it within a global inventorywarehouse database. The global inventory warehouse database may thuscontain a global inventory of all or nearly all of the hardware,software, and telecommunications assets distributed throughout theorganization. This database may also contain an identification ofphysical locations within the organization of all or substantially allof these assets.

In another aspect, the global inventory warehouse facilitates managementof the global inventory. A user can query, for example, the globalinventory stored within the global inventory warehouse database toidentify certain assets that satisfy the search criteria. As oneexample, the user may submit a request to identify what hardware,software, or telecommunications assets currently reside in a particularphysical location of the organization. This type of knowledge allows theorganization to respond quickly in the event of disaster or disruptionand restore the functionality of any affected assets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTENTS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical items.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment in which an architecture forbuilding, maintaining, and managing an inventory of hardware, software,and telecommunications assets distributed throughout an organization maybe implemented.

FIGS. 2-3 show renderings of an exemplary user interface to manage aportfolio of applications in an inventory of applications and relatedassets. In FIG. 2, the UI facilitates entry of search criteria forapplications distributed throughout the organization. In FIG. 3, the UIpresents a listing of applications satisfying the submitted searchcriteria.

FIG. 4 illustrates one exemplary implementation of the architecture forbuilding, maintaining, and managing an inventory of hardware, software,and telecommunications assets and data flow among various systems dprocesses in the architecture.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an application directoryimplemented on a computing system.

FIG. 6 is a rendering of an example home page for the applicationdirectory.

FIGS. 7-11 show a series of renderings of example interfaces tofacilitate an automated and systematic registration process forregistering applications being deployed in the organization.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for registering anapplication with the application directory.

FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a global inventory warehouse(GIW) implemented on a computing system.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary process for receiving a batch of datarecords from a source system and storing the batch in a GIW database.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for managing thehardware, software, and telecommunications assets in the architecture ofFIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure is directed to techniques for constructing, maintaining,and managing an inventory of hardware, software, and telecommunicationsassets distributed throughout an organization. The inventory may alsoidentify applications, which are logical sets of resources includingcomputing devices, software programs, and/or telecommunications devicesthat perform a specific business function. The techniques include astreamlined process for developers and managers to register applicationsthrough use of automated discovery processes for servers and locations.Also, various forms of inventory management and reporting ofapplications and deployments are supported. Data integrity is ensuredand managed through a reconciliation process.

As a result, the inventory is kept accurate and up to date. Thisprovides a robust information source for many different planningpurposes. For instance, with such an inventory, authorized personnel canascertain at any given time what assets are available where. In an eventthat a disruption impacts performance at a specific location (e.g.,natural disaster, terrorist attack, etc.), members of the businesscontinuity planning (BCP) team can quickly determine what assets areimpacted and rebuild that capability at another location.

For discussion purposes, the techniques will be described in the contextof an exemplary environment shown in FIG. 1. However, the techniques maybe used in other environments, and be implemented using differentarchitectures than those shown in the exemplary environment discussedbelow.

Exemplary Environment

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment 100 in which an architecturefor building, maintaining, and managing an inventory of hardware,software, and telecommunications assets distributed throughout anorganization may be implemented. In the illustrated environment 100, theorganization is a global organization with resources spread worldwide,as represented by various locations around a globe 102. The architectureenables the global organization to have knowledge of these distributedassets in the event portions of the organization experience unexpectedevents, such as natural disasters or human acts of terrorism, theft,arson, and so forth. Software assets include applications, each of whichis a logical set of resources that perform a specific business function.The resources may include computing devices, software programs,telecommunications devices, and/or any other assets or processes thattogether perform the business function.

By maintaining a current inventory of hardware, software, andtelecommunications assets, the architecture allows authorized personnelto find answers to many interesting and diverse questions. Of particularinterest is the question of what technology is currently implemented atcertain physical locations of the organization, and if something were tohappen to that location, what is needed to rebuild its functionality.

To illustrate the usefulness of such an architecture, consider theenvironment 100 of FIG. 1 where a member of a business continuityplanning (BCP) group resides in New York City. The BCP member uses acomputing device 104 (e.g., a desktop PC, laptop, PDA, cell phone, etc.)to find out what hardware resources, software applications, ortelecommunications devices exist at a facility in Hong Kong. Thecomputing device 104 executes a browser or other program 108 to accessremote servers over a network (not shown) to access the inventory ofhardware, software, and telecommunications assets and ascertain whichare located in the facility in Hong Kong. Although not shown, thenetwork might be any number or combination of different networks,including proprietary data networks, the Internet, wireless networks,satellite networks, and the like.

Among the remote servers are one or more application directory servers110(1), . . . , 110(M) that may reside, for example, in a differentlocation (e.g., London) and one or more global inventory warehouse (GIW)servers 112(1), . . . , 112(N) that may reside in still another location(e.g., San Francisco). It is noted that these locations are merelyillustrative, as the servers may be co-located at the same location orlocated in any number of places throughout the world. Furthermore, theseservers may be implemented in any number of ways, including as networkedservers (perhaps arranged as a server farm), a mainframe computer, orother types of computerized systems.

An application directory program 120 is installed and executed on theservers 110(1)-(M). The application directory 120 maintains an inventoryof applications deployed through the organization. The applicationdirectory 120 also provides a streamlined process for developers andmanagers to register applications through use of automated discoveryprocesses that systematically gather various types of data about theapplications, such as servers, locations, deployment details, and so on.The application directory 120 is described below in more detail withreference to FIGS. 5-12.

A global inventory warehouse GIW) 122 includes a GIW database 142 and isserviced by the GIW servers 112(1)-(N). The GIW 122 serves as arepository of data feeds from reconciliation and authoritative sourcesfor the purposes of building a consolidated inventory of theorganization's hardware, software, and telecommunications assets. TheGIW 122 receives data from many different sources and maintains ahistory of the data. Further, the GIW 122 supports reporting of theinformation in many different views and formats. It is further notedthat although the GIW 122 is shown as residing in one location (e.g.,San Francisco), the GIW 122 may be distributed over multiple geographiclocations and/or replicated in multiple different places to protectagainst single site failures.

The application directory 120 is one of the data sources for the GIW122. When a developer registers a new application using the applicationdirectory 120, that information is first stored in an inventory databasemaintained by the application directory 120 and then fed to the GIW 122for storage and organization. Authorized users (e.g., BCP members,developers, managers, etc.) can access the information in applicationdirectory 120 and GIW 122 anytime using a Web-based tool, such as thebrowser 108. FIGS. 13-14 and their corresponding text describe the GIW122 in more detail.

Continuing with our earlier scenario, suppose a user in theorganization's New York office wants to know what technology is on the36^(th) floor of a building in Hong Kong. In FIG. 1, the organization'sfacility in Hong Kong is represented by a building 124. A portion of the36^(th) floor is shown as a collection of cubicle workspaces 126. Usingcomputing device 104, the user can sub a request via a browser 108 for alisting of all technology housed on the 36^(th) floor of building 124 inHong Kong.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary user interface (UI) 200 rendered on thebrowser 108 to facilitate a search of applications in the applicationinventory. In this example, the user may enter different search criteriainto a search pane 202 selected by an “enter filter criteria” tab 204.The search criteria may be predefined or responsive to keyword stringsentered by the user. In FIG. 2, the search pane 202 provides multiplepredefined search criteria, with some predetermined values madeavailable in pull down menus. Among the search criteria are a tier 206that defines the criticality of the application, a location 208 at whichthe technology is deployed, a division 210 that uses the technology, acategory 212 to which the application belongs, and an owner 214 who isresponsible for the business area, development, or operations related toan application. In this particular example, the user in interested intechnology in Hong Kong, so she selects Hong Kong for the locationsearch criterion 208. Once the user selects the appropriate criteria,she may click or otherwise actuate the “Find” button 216 to submit asearch query to the application directory 120 (or GIW 122).

In some implementations, the UI may facilitate entry of additionalinformation to provide varying levels of granularity in the search. Forinstance, in response the user entering the location “Hong Kong”, the UImight return another pane seeking further selection criteria, such as alisting of possible buildings in Hong Kong, the floors in thosebuildings leased by the organizations, and even workspaces on thefloors. It is further noted that other UI techniques may be employed tofacilitate entry of criteria for the search request. For instance, theUI might allow the use to enter keyword phrases of one or more keywords(e.g., “Hong Kong computer software), or type in queries in the form ofquestions (e.g., “What software is installed on the computers in HongKong?”).

With reference again to FIG. 1, the application directory servers110(1)-110(M) receive the request from the computing device 104 andsearch the directory 120 for the requested information. Once found, theservers 110 format and serve the data to the user's computing device 104in the form of a webpage report arranged, for example, in terms of hardresources (e.g., computers, keyboards, monitors, computers, networkconnections, etc.) and soft resources (e.g., applications, drivers,etc.). Of course, the GIW servers 112(1)-(N) may also receive thisrequest and search the GIW 122 for the requested information.

By submitting different search requests, the user may either expand ornarrow the search. For instance, the user may ask for a more expansivereport of all technology in whole building 124 in Hong Kong. Conversely,the user may drill down farther and ask for information pertaining to aspecific cubicle or workspace 128, such as workspace 36-22 (i.e., the22^(nd) workspace on the 36^(th) floor) shown in FIG. 1. Continuing thislatter example, suppose the target workspace includes a desktop computer130 having a processor 132, a memory 134, and application programs136(1) . . . . , 136(K) stored in the memory. Thus, a report returned tothe requesting user computing device 104 in response to a request fortechnology residing in workspace 36-22 might include a listing of thecomputer 130 (e.g., box, monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.), processor 132,memory 134, and application programs 136(1), . . . , 136(K). Theseresults may be presented in any configurable format.

FIG. 3 shows a rendering of an exemplary UI 300 with a listing ofapplications returned from the submitted search criteria. A results pane302 selected by a “search results” tab 304 shows the variousapplications located in the search. In this example, in response tolocation parameter of “Hong Kong”, a listing 306 shows thoseapplications deployed in Hong Kong, including applications ABC and XYZ.The listing 306 may be formatted in any number of ways. Here, thelisting 306 includes a tier 308, a name 310 of the technology, a uniqueapplication identifier (AID) 312, a division 314 and a location 316 inwhich the technology is deployed, and an owner 318 of the technology.Notice that each of the applications is in a location 316 of “HongKong”.

With reference again to FIG. 1, the architecture shown in environment100 facilitates this knowledge of where resources are located and who isresponsible for them by collecting and maintaining an accurate,up-to-date inventory of applications and corresponding assets. Severaltools are provided to ensure reliable collection of such informationwhen the resources are deployed.

One tool to gather information on new applications is a series ofinterfaces served by the application directory 120 to automate andstandardize registration of newly installed applications. For instance,suppose a new application is being installed in Hong Kong, and as partof the application, a software program 140 is installed on computer 130.As part of this installation process, a responsible user (e.g., ITpersonnel, business owner, computer user, etc.) is tasked withregistering the new application. The application directory 120 serves aseries of web pages designed to gather information from the userregarding the application name, location, division, business owner, andso forth. The information entered by the user is routed over the networkand stored in the application directory 120. From there, the sameinformation (or portions of it) can be fed to the GIW servers 112 forstorage in the GIW database 142.

This process is repeated each time an application is installed,upgraded, removed, or replaced on any computing system throughout theorganization. Also, similar processes may be employed for hard assets,such as computers, printers, network devices, and so forth. In thismanner, the GIW 122 (and more particularly its database 142) maintainsan accurate and current inventory of resources distributed throughoutthe organization. A more detailed discussion of collecting andmaintaining this inventory is described below with reference to FIG. 4.

The ability to ascertain what resources are available where, at anygiven time, is beneficial for many reasons. One benefit is thatknowledge of which technologies are deployed at what locations enablesimproved business continuity in the event of natural or human-instigateddisaster. For instance, suppose a natural disaster hits Hong Kong (e.g.,a tsunami, monsoon, earthquake, etc.), causing damage to a bond tradingoperation in Hong Kong (FIG. 1). A member of the BCP group sitting inNew York would be able to quickly determine what assets have beenadversely impacted and what functionality is missing. The BCP member maythen reconstruct the lost resources in another location to bring thebond trading functionality back on line quickly.

Another benefit is that having an up-to-date inventory of technologyassets allows for regular and timely upgrades. The architecturemaintains an accurate accounting of all computers, their location, allsoftware that is running on those computers, and the business ownersthat are being supported. When upgrades are scheduled to be deployed, amember of the organization's IT department can schedule the assets atvarious locations for software and hardware upgrades while providingsufficient time for the business owners to plan for service to betemporarily down, or to have additional resources available during theupgrade. Additionally, the IT department is able to manage assetlifecycles to timely replace certain computers and devices upon reachingan appropriate age.

An accurate inventory of computers and applications also facilitatesspace planning when people or departments are physically moved from onelocation to another. The moving team can be given a map of whatresources are to be moved and re-installed at the new location.Furthermore, an accurate inventory allows the organization to moreeffectively monitor the security of its hardware and software assets.Such assets may also be tracked by appropriate business owners for suchinternal accounting as charge-backs, allocations, and provisioning andde-provisioning of assets.

Still another benefit of an accurate and up-to-date inventory is thatthe organization may adhere to certain deployment initiatives as well ascomply with licensing agreements and support potential licensenegotiations.

Architecture

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary architecture 400 that may be implemented inthe environment 100. The architecture 400 has several functional groupsthat together carry out the functions of inventory gathering,management, reconciliation, and reporting. The functional groups includeworkflow processes and automated computerized systems. In theillustrated implementation, there are seven groups: inventory andreconciliation systems 402, workflow processes 404, systems with manageddata 406, discovery tools 408, systems receiving GIW data feeds 410,online applications 412, and reporting tools 414.

The inventory and reconciliation group 402 includes the global inventorywarehouse (GIW) 122 and a reconciliation framework 420. The GIW 122includes the GIW database 142 and is a repository of data collected fromreconciliation and authoritative sources for purposes of building aconsolidated inventory of hardware, software, and telecommunicationsassets. The GIW may also contain other information, such as exceptioninformation generated in response to one or more reconciliationprocesses.

The GIW 122 receives data feeds from the managed data systems 406 andthe discovery tools 408 as represented by data flow arrows 422 and 424,respectively. The GIW 122 stores and organizes the data in various datastructures and formats such that selections of the data may then be fedor produced on request to other systems, applications, and tools. Asshown in FIG. 4, the GIW 122 provides data feeds to a collection ofsystems grouped under the GIW data feeds group 410, as represented bydata flow arrow 426. The GIW 122 also provides replies to on-demandrequests to a set of online applications 412 and to various reportingtools 414, as represented by data flow arrows 428 and 429, respectively.

Data is fed into the GIW 122 from the managed data systems 406. Themanaged data systems 406 include multiple data systems 474(1), . . . ,474(P), which capture data that is entered and managed by peopleaccording to workflow processes 404. The data in such systems does notlend itself to automatic discovery tools, such as tools 408 discussedbelow. Rather, the data might include information that managers enter,such as physical location, cabinet that the router sits in, and soforth. The data systems 474(1)-474(P) are representative of manypossible data systems including, for example:

-   -   Active Directory™—a system that contains distribution lists and        Windows™ Machine Mappings    -   Cable Management Systems (CMS)—a system that contains locations        (e.g., a cabinet location) of distributed assets    -   Confucius—a system that contains strategy-based data from Linux™        Servers    -   DeviceDB—a system that contains a managed inventory of Network        Hardware Devices    -   Configs—a system that contains database configuration        information    -   TAM—a system that contains technology assets and their locations    -   Terminal Servers—a system that contains data about terminal        servers    -   DevForge—a system that contains information about        application-development projects    -   Device Modeling—a system that contains attributes (e.g.,        lifecycle) of hardware and operating system assets    -   Domain Name System (DNS)—a system that contains domain name        information for distributed assets    -   Ivize™—a system that contains voicemail distribution lists    -   LifeLine™—a system that contains contact lists    -   Corporate Directory—a system that contains personnel data for        employees of the organization    -   Controller—a system that contains information (e.g., dept.        codes, dept. open/close dates) about organizational departments    -   SMART—a system that contains organization hierarchy    -   SPARC™—a system that contains department redirects    -   Technology Financial Services—a system that contains business        unit mappings throughout an organization to facilitate reporting    -   GSLocation—a system that facilitates data discovery on valid        buildings, floors, rooms, and desk locations

Another managed data system is the application directory 120 (alsorepresented as data system 474(1) in FIG. 4). The application directory120 serves in the architecture 400 as the authoritative inventory ofapplications deployed throughout the organization. The applicationdirectory 120 maintains the inventory in a repository or database 430.The database 430 organizes information relevant to the applications,such as criticality tier, unique identifier, business owner, division,location, and so on. As the authoritative system, the applicationdirectory database 430 is considered to be the most accurate andup-to-date collection of information on the applications. One exemplaryimplementation of the application directory 120 is described below inmore detail with reference to FIG. 5.

Through individual data systems 474(1)-474(P), the managed data systems406 provide a great deal of data to the GIW 122. For instance, theapplication directory 120 provides data on software applications to theGIW 122. Furthermore, the data in the managed data systems 406 isreceived from any number of sources. One source is, for example,application developers 432, who register applications with the directory120 as part of various workflow procedures when the applications areinstalled or otherwise deployed. Another source is an inventory controlgroup 434, which has management authority over the inventory maintainedin the application directory database 430. The registration processesare streamlined for developers and managers to register applicationswith minimal manual intervention. Other data sources may exist for eachindividual data system 474(1)-474(P).

A third source for application-related information is the reconciliationframework 420, which updates the application directory through avalidation and reconciliation process on the data maintained in the GIW122. Reconciliation processes attempt to automate handling of datavalidation exceptions, and feeds the reconciled information to themanaged data systems 406, such as the application directory 120. Dataintegrity is ensured and managed through these reconciliation processeswhich may in part populate the managed data systems 406 (e.g.,application directory) data from the global inventory warehouse 122feeds from the multiple discovery tools 408.

Table 1 shows an example, and non-exhaustive, list of possible datafeeds into and out of the application directory 120, one of the manageddata systems.

TABLE 1 Feed System Data Direction Business Application directory datato BCP system. OUT Continuity Planning Authorization Authorized userdata. If application user IN/OUT Monitoring Project changes division orleaves organization, application managers are notified to changeapplication access accordingly. Marimba Window servers and installedsoftware IN SysInfo Unix servers and installed software IN Red HatNetwork Package information on Linux servers IN Switch Serveravailability and location detection IN Management DBDB Database ifdatabases (Sybase, SqlServer, IN UDB) Sonar Server availability andlocation detection (base IN system for all servers). TAM Hardware AssetInventory. Contains the IN location and asset tags for all desktops,servers, printer, routers and switches. Lifeline Lists for support ofjobs related to applications IN and servers. Corporate Contactinformation for deployment managers. IN Directory Application Directorystores IDs (e.g., Kerberos, GUIDs, etc.) SMART/OrgBud DivisionalHierarchy for Portfolio Reporting IN

Other feeds that may be passed into the application directory 120include data from a system that monitors processes and servers (e.g., HPOpenView™ system) and data from risk reporting systems,

Discovery tools 408 also provide data feeds to the GIW 122. Thediscovery tools 408 include multiple tools 440(1), 440(2), . . . ,440(J), which go out periodically or routinely (e.g., nightly) to gatherdata from the components themselves. The data is such that lends itselfto automated collection without human intervention, and may involve suchthings as operating conditions, workload, failures, and so forth. Thetools 440(1)-440(J) are representative of many possible automated datacollection tools including, for example:

-   -   Confucius—a tool that provides strategy-based data from Linux™        Servers    -   EMC™ Enterprise Control Center—a tool that provides a raw        storage area network inventory    -   Marimba™—also known as Marimba Inventory—an agent used to deploy        and report on packaged applications to Windows™ PCs.    -   Red Hat™ Network—an agent that runs on Linux™ and deploys        packaged applications to Linux™-based servers.    -   SONAR™—an agent that provides IP address discovery    -   Switch Management System (SMS)—a tool that provides server        availability, location detection (e.g., host connections and        locations), and network information (e.g., information about        network routers and switches)    -   Sysinfo—an agent that runs and reports on Unix configurations        and variants    -   Storage Information on—a tool that provides inventory of storage        area network (SAN) arrays, switches, and servers    -   Production Access Reporting (PAR) tool that provides for        production access reporting    -   TRACER—a tool that manages and provides data reconciliation and        grading services    -   ProWatch™—a tool that provides data about data center access        logs

The GIW 122 provides data feeds to a variety of systems represented ingroup 410. Among these systems are Server Central 450, SecurityMonitoring 452, Database Administration 454, Market Data Administration456, Business Continuity Planning 458, and System Administration (SA)Tools 460. The Server Central 450 is a web application that presentsserver inventory information from the system administrator perspective,including performance metrics information. The Security Monitoringsystem 452 is responsible for identification, engineering, and operationof solutions to monitor the security of the organization'sinfrastructure as well as the staff and vendors use of the systems. TheDatabase Administration system 454 is responsible for management ofvarious databases used throughout the organization. The Market DataAdministration system 456 manages an inventory of internally andclient-consumed market data. The Business Continuity Planning system 458supports many continuity solutions including crisis management, businessrecovery, systems and data recovery, people recovery facilities, andprocess improvement. The SA tools 460 are a set of tools for monitoringoperation of systems from a software and hardware perspective, such asperformance metrics, usage, and the like.

Online applications 412 represent another set of data consumers from theGIW 122. The online applications include the Server Central 450, the SAtools 460 and the Application Directory 120. Each of these may beimplemented as Web-based tools that can query the GIW 122 for specificinformation. Additionally, reporting tools 414 may submit queries to theGIW 122 to generate various reports on applications deployed throughoutthe organization. These reporting tools 414 might include, for example,Inventory Reporting 470 and Business Continuity Planning (BCP) reporting472.

The illustrated data providers and data consumers of the informationmaintained in the global inventory warehouse 122 are representative.There may be any number and variety of data providers and dataconsumers. Moreover, the data providers and consumers may beoff-the-shelf products or custom-built components designed specificallyfor the architecture or for particular functions. A section entitled“Global Inventory Warehouse” follows a discussion of the applicationdirectory 120 and an accompanying registration process, and describescomponents of the GIW 122 in detail.

Application Directory

FIG. 5 shows one example implementation of an application directory 120executing on one or more servers 110 (FIG. 1). The servers 110 areequipped with processing units 502 and memory 504 (e.g., volatile,non-volatile, and persistent memory). A network interface 506 providesaccess to and communication over a network (e.g., LAN, Internet,wireless, etc.).

The application directory 120 is shown stored in memory 504, but isexecuted on processing units 502 during runtime. Selected components inthe application directory 120 include a repository or database 430, anapplication registration module 510, and an application portfolio module512. As noted above, the application directory database 430 maintains aninventory of applications deployed throughout the organization. Theapplication registration module 510 and the application portfolio module512 provide Web-based tools for automated registration of applicationsand management of the application portfolio.

More particularly, the application registration module 510 facilitatesautomated registration of the applications and provides the mechanismfor getting them approved for deployment. The module 510 includes a userinterface (UI) 514 that guides developers and managers (and others)through the initial registration process, as well as any updates toapplication data in the application directory 120 and its associatedcheckpoints and reconciliation systems. Additionally, the applicationregistration module 510 allows managers to approve new applications anddeployments for submission to the business continuity planning (BCP)team. The BCP team can then review and approve deployment requests usingthe application registration module 510. An example set of UIs for theregistration process is provided below in more detail with reference toFIGS. 6-11.

The application portfolio module 512 provides the online tool formanagers to generate Web-based reports against the GIW data feeds ofapplication directory data. The data feeds may be frequent (e.g., everyday, every hour, etc.), or as updated, or as needed. With this module512, a manager may generate reports that sort or format applications byvarious criteria, such as by division, location, tier, category, status,and an forth. The application portfolio module 512 has a portfolio 516that provides interfaces for a user to enter search criteria andpresents results of the search. Two exemplary UT interfaces are shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, as described above in detail. In FIG. 2, an applicationportfolio UI 200 facilitates user entry of various search criteria forapplications distributed throughout the organization. The interface 300shown in FIG. 3 presents a list of all applications that satisfy thesearch criteria. In addition, the portfolio UI 516 aids in themanagement of families of applications, and allows users to definegroups within individual families.

There are several possible parties who may interact with the applicationdirectory 120. Developers (e.g., firm users, code developers, supportengineers), development manager (e.g., mid-level development managersresponsible for support and deployment of applications), members of thebusiness continuity planning group, and regulatory auditors are amongthe different classes of users who may use the application directory120.

The application directory 120 further includes a repository or database430 to store the applications in an organized inventory 518. Theinventory 518 is composed of records 519 that store data pertaining tothe applications deployed throughout the organization. Each record 519arranges data according to a hierarchical logical data model 520 thatdefines multiple levels of data types and relationships amongst thoselevels. The hierarchical data model 520 includes a top or family level522, a second or application level 524, a third or deployment level 526,and a fourth or component level 528.

As noted earlier, an application is a logical entity, made up ofcomponents that perform a specific business function. A family definedat the first level 522 of the data hierarchy 520 is a collection of oneor more applications in the second level 524 that either perform a setof related business functions or have a common IT support structure.Each application may have one or more deployments in the third level526. A deployment is an instance of an application that runs in aspecific location. And each deployment may involve one or morecomponents in the fourth level 528. A component is a piece of anapplication that shows up as an individual system process or as anindividual deployable unit. It is noted that this data hierarchy 520exemplifies just one example arrangement of a data structure. Otherhierarchical models of more or fewer levels may be employed.

FIG. 6 shows an example home page 600 for the application directory 120.This home page 600 functions as an entry portal to the registration UI514 and the portfolio UI 514. The home page 600 includes multiple tabbedpanes including a tab 602 for access to the organization's intranet homepage and a tab 604 for access to a primary pane 606 of the applicationdirectory. On this primary pane 606 are a navigation menu 608, agreeting 610 to the authorized user, a statistics area 612, a news area614, and a task area 616.

The navigation menu 608 provides a set of links to various processes,such as registration, record modification, and reporting. To register anapplication, a user may access a sequence of web pages by selecting thelink “Register Application” on the menu 608. Similarly, a user maygenerate a report of applications stored in the application directorydatabase by choosing the “Portfolio Reports” link or one of the criterialinks (e.g., “By Tier”, “By Location”, etc.) in menu 608.

The statistics area 612 provides a summary of the total applications,deployments and components registered. The news area 614 provides noticeof any system alerts, such as enhancements, bug fixes, updates,maintenance down time, and so forth. The task area 616 provides arunning list of applications to be acted upon by the user, based on thatuser's role. The list includes active links to an application managementpage that allows the user to act on the application. The link isrepresented by underlining in FIG. 6, although other expressions may beused such as font change, color differentiation, and so on.

The task list in area 616 further includes a status designation 618 ofeach open task. Table 2 provides a listing of possible statuses:

TABLE 2 Next Status Definition Status DRAFT Developer is drafting a newor revision of OPEN application/deployment and has not yet submitted itto a developer manager for approval. OPEN Developer manager is reviewingnew or PENDING revision of application/deployment and or has not yetsubmitted to BCP for approval. REJECTED PENDING Developer manager hassubmitted ACTIVE or application for BCP approval. REJECTED REJECTED BCPor development manager has rejected DRAFT application data, status isreverted to “DRAFT” for developer to review and update data forapplication and resubmit for developer manager and BCP approval. ACTIVEBCP has reviewed application data and NA approved application fordeployment. EXCEPTION Reconciliation with GIW feeds has shown If data isdiscrepancies and applications are reviewed, flagged as “EXCEPTION”.corrected Application data is flagged as out of date if and applicationhas not been reviewed by discrepancies development team in a specifiedamount are cleared, of time. will go to DRAFT state. DE- Legacy serveror application no N/A COMMISSION longer in use. REPLACED Legacyapplication has been replaced by N/A new application. Reference newapplication identifier for replacement application. INACTIVE Legacystatus - Used on inactive NA applications for historical purposes

Now, suppose a user would like to register a new application. The usermay actuate the “Register Application” link in the menu 608. That wouldlead him to a series of screens to enter data about the application.

FIG. 7 shows a first registration page 700 that is initially served bythe application directory 120 when a user seeks to register a newapplication. The registration page 700 includes a pane 702 thatsystematically guides the user through a series of questions about theapplication. The registrant enters a name for the application in entryfield 704. The name may conform to standardized naming conventions, andits size may be constrained to some maximum number of characters. A BCParchitecture pull down menu 706 allows the user to select a generalarchitecture of the application, including such choices as mainframe,distributed, and mid-range.

A contact list for the application may be selected by pull down menu708. This contact list identifies which business organizations(divisions) are primary clients of this application. In response toselection, a table of responsible owners will be automatically populatedwith appropriate names. A brief description of the primary businessfunction performed by the application may be entered into field 710.Such a description may be limited to a number of words (e.g. 500 words).

The registrant selects an appropriate application family for thisapplication using pull down menu 712. A set of predefined family namesare provided in this menu, enabling the registrant to quickly find whichfamily is the best fit for the application. A version number for theapplication may be entered into field 714, and a document URL (universalresource locator) may be added in field 716. Any additional comments maybe entered into text field 718.

Some applications may be governed by various government (federal, state,and city) regulations. For instance, applications related to financialtransactions may be governed by SEC rules, federal laws, stateregulations, and so forth. In field 720, the registrant may be presentedwith a list of possible regulation categories that might be applied tothe application. The registrant can select suitable categories and theapplication is marked for compliance with the selected categories.

Notice also in the left margin beneath the menu 608 is a small icon 722that provides a visual cue of the hierarchical logical data model 520.The model conveys to the registrant how data is being organized withinthe logical data model. A focus is also provided to illustrate whichdata is currently being sought from the registrant as he proceedsthrough the series of web pages. In this illustration, the upper twolevels—family level 1 and application level 2—are in focus to visuallyconvey that this portion of the registration concerns higher levelinformation pertaining to the application and its family. The focus maybe accomplished by changing the color of the upper two levels, or byhighlighting them, or by enlarging them, or through some other graphicaltechnique. As the registration process continues, different levels ofthe icon 722 will be placed in focus to assist the registrant.

FIG. 8 shows a second registration page 800 that continues theregistration process. Notice that the focus in the hierarchy icon 722has now shifted to the deployment level 3 to visually inform theregistrant that this web page concerns entry of deployment information.Additional focus is on an “owner” box at the bottom of icon 722 toimpart that this page 800 contains entry fields for identifying theowner of the application.

A pane 802 guides the user through a series of questions to extractdeployment details. In field 804, the user enters a location (e.g., “NewYork”) at which the application will be deployed. This location may beof any configurable granularity appropriate for the implementation, andmay include floor, building, city, region, state, country, and so forth.A deployment name may be entered in field 806, and a unique applicationidentifier (AID) 808 is automatically generated when a deployment isregistered.

A tier is assigned at pull down menu 810. The tier provides acriticality rating of the deployment and ranges, for example, from oflow criticality to a 4 of high criticality. A next schedule test datemay be entered into field 812 (or selected using a calendaring tool).These dates may include failover testing, live user testing, and thelike. More than one type of test may also be scheduled by addingadditional options in pane 802. The deployment manager responsible forthe deployment from a technical and BCP perspective is selected in field814. The individual chosen may be given responsibility to approve thedeployment before it goes to the BCP group. One or more ROTAs may beadded or removed using field 816. A collection of ROTAs (short forrotary) forms a list of contacts and preferred order and method(cell/page/call) of notifying those contacts in case an applicationproblem occurs. It is used as reference data in the applicationdirectory, an alternate way of specifying the application deployment'scontacts. Finally, a registrant may click an “Add Server” button 818 tochoose servers utilized by this deployment. This action will open a newwindow to facilitate searching and addition of servers. The selectedservers are then listed in table 820, which includes such information asa server asset tag, hostname, location, make/model, and platform.

FIG. 9 shows a third registration page 900 that directs a registrantthrough the third step of the registration process. On this page 900,the focus of hierarchy icon 722 has shifted down to the component level4 to visually convey that this page pertains to input of componentinformation. A pane 902 guides the user through a series of entriesregarding component information. In pane 902, the registrant mayidentify external data feeds in entry area 904 by clicking an “Add Feed”button to choose external feeds utilized by the application. This actionwill open a window that allows the user to search and add feeds. Thesefeeds will then be depicted in a table (not shown). The user maysubsequently remove feeds by actuating the “Remove Feed” button.

In entry area 906, the registrant may add any other deployments andinternal feeds upon which the application is dependent. By clicking an“Add Dependency” button, a window is presented to facilitate search ofdependent deployments. These deployments are listed in a dependentdeployments information table 908. Any dependent deployment may beremoved from the table 908 through use of the “Remove Dependency”button.

Data sources are also identified in entry area 910. Data sources includedatabase instances and the components that run them. Actuating an “AddDatasource” button causes a window to open for searching and adding datasources to a data source information table 912. If a data source is on aserver not currently associated with the deployment, selecting the datasource effectively adds the server to the deployment. A “RemoveDatasource” button is also provided to remove items from the table 912.

FIG. 10 shows a fourth registration page 1000 that continues entry ofcomponent detail in level 4, as noted by the visual hierarchy icon 722.A pane 1002 assists the user in discovering components relevant to theapplication being registered. When a user initiates the discoveryprocess (e.g., by clicking the “Discover” button), a search query issent to the global inventory warehouse (GIW) to return all componentsassociated with the current deployment. These components include serversand other devices that implement the application. Components found bythe search are returned and listed in a discovered components table1004. The registrant may associate the component with the deployment byclicking an “Associate” button provided for each listed component.

FIG. 11 shows a fifth and final registration page 1100 that facilitatesentry of BCP audit date in the fifth and final step in the registrationprocess. The BCP audit date pertains to the deployment level of detailand hence, the deployment level 3 is in focus once again on the visualhierarchy icon 722. A pane 1102 guides the registrant through details ofan audit for purposes of business continuity planning.

At fields 1104-1108, the user can enter dates for when the technologywas tested, when user testing was completed, and when connectivitytesting was conducted. Any comments relating to the BCP audit may alsobe provided in text entry field 1110, including such comments on therational behind a criticality rating assigned to the application. Alsovia this pane 1102, the deployment of this application may be approved(by clicking the “Approve” button 1112) or rejected (by clicking the“Reject” button 1114). If approved, the application status is changed to“Active” (See Table 2 above). Conversely, if rejected, the applicationstatus is returned to “Draft” status, and the developer at this pointshould review the application and registration, updating all data forapplication deployment, and then resubmit for approval.

Registration Processes

FIG. 12 illustrates a computerized process for registering applicationsor other assets of the organization. This process (as well as otherprocesses discussed herein) is illustrated as a collection of blocks ina logical flow graph, which represents a sequence of operations that canbe implemented, in whole or in part, in hardware, software, or acombination thereof. In the context of software, the blocks representcomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, perform the recited operations. Generally,computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, and the like that perform particularfunctions or implement particular abstract data types. The sequence inwhich the operations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described blocks can be combinedand/or rearranged in other sequences to implement the process.

For discussion purposes, the process 1200 is described with reference tothe architecture, systems, and UIs of FIGS. 1-11. It is noted, however,that the processes may be implemented in many other ways.

FIG. 12 shows a computerized registration process 1200. At 1202, a userinterface is presented to facilitate entry of information pertaining toan application. In one implementation, this user interface is embodiedas a Web-based data entry tool that may be rendered in a browser.Accordingly, in this implementation, the first act 1202 of facilitatingentry of information may consist of three actions 1202(1)-1202(3). At1202(1), the tool presents a series of web pages that guide the userthrough the registration process, collecting information about theapplication. One example series of web pages are described above andshown in FIGS. 6-11. These web pages are served by the applicationdirectory 120 and rendered by a browser or other rendering program.

The web pages seek entry of different types of information about theapplications. The different types of information conform to the logicaldata model 520, which defines multiple hierarchical levels of data typesand relationships amongst the hierarchical levels. At 1202(2), a visualcue representing the logical data model is depicted on the web pages toconvey what data is currently being entered, and how that data is beingorganized in the inventory. One example visual icon is illustrated inFIGS. 7-11 as icon 722. Individual levels of the visual cue are placedin focus during the registration to aid the user during entry of thedifferent data types to convey which data is being entered and how it isbeing organized within the logical data model. At 1202(3), the focus ischanged within the visual cue of the logical data model in coordinationwith the data being collected by the web pages. As illustrated in theexample of FIGS. 7-11, the focus is changed throughout the sequence ofweb pages.

At 1204, information pertaining to the various data types is collectedduring the registration process. Among the information collected are anapplication name, a family to which the application belongs, deploymentdata pertaining deployment of the application, component dataidentifying components used by the application, and owner dataidentifying a business owner responsible for the application.Additionally, as exemplified in FIGS. 7-11, other information pertainingto the application may also be collected.

At 1206, the information is organized to form an inventory ofapplications. This inventory is maintained in the application directorydatabase 430 (at 1208 in FIG. 12), and at least portions of theinventory are fed to the global inventory warehouse 122 (at 1210 in FIG.12). In this manner, the application inventory may be viewed as beingstored in two different databases—the application directory database 430and the GIW database 142 (FIG. 1). The following section describes indetail the GIW 122 and its accompanying database 142.

Global Inventory Warehouse

FIG. 13 illustrates one example implementation of a global inventorywarehouse (GIW) 122 executing on one or more servers 112 (FIG. 1).Similar to the servers 110 described above with reference to theapplication directory 120, the servers 112 are equipped with processingunits 1302 and memory 1304 (e.g., volatile, non-volatile, and persistentmemory). In addition, a network interface 1306 provides access to andcommunication over a network (e.g., LAN, Internet, wireless network,etc.), which allows authorized personnel to search the GIW database 142.

As discussed above, the GIW 122 is a repository of data collected fromreconciliation and authoritative sources for purposes of building aconsolidated inventory of hardware, software, and telecommunicationsassets. This data may include some or all of the information discussedabove in regards to the application directory, such as an identificationof the assets and the assets' physical locations. The GIW 122 may alsocontain exception information generated in response to one or morereconciliation processes. Furthermore, the GIW 122 maintains a historyof the received data. The GIW 122 also supports reporting of theinformation in many different views and formats.

In addition to storing identifications of assets, physical locations ofassets, and exception information, the GIW may also build relationshipsbetween assets in response to receiving data from the applicationdirectory 120. As discussed above, a user may register an applicationwith the application directory and, in the process, register thatapplication with a particular server upon which the application resides.When the application directory feeds this data to the GIW 122, the GIWthen creates other relationships based on that data and based onadditional information stored in the GIW. For instance, the GIW 122 mayknow that the particular server upon which the particular applicationresides is part of a particular network. The GIW 122 accordingly buildsa relationship between the application, the server, and the particularnetwork. Similarly, the GIW may create relationships between theapplication/server combination and a market data network, an Ethernetnetwork, physical location information, tape backup locationinformation, and the like. Furthermore, after creating theserelationships, the GIW may provide these relationships back to theapplication directory 120. In turn, the application directory populatesfields within the application directory user interface in order to allowfor an application directory user to view these relationships.

FIG. 13 illustrates that the GIW 122 is stored in the memory 1304 of theone or more servers 112. Exemplary components in the GIW 122 include theGIW database 142, a receiver 1308, and a converter 1310. Selectedcomponents in the GIW database 142 include one or more source tables1312, one or more staging tables 1314, and a refresher 1316.

The receiver 1308 receives data from some or all of the sourcesillustrated in FIG. 4, such as the managed data systems 406 and thediscovery tools 408. The GIW 122 stores and organizes this received datain various data structures and formats. This storage and organizationallows portions of the data to be fed or produced on request to othersystems, applications, and tools. To so store, organize, and providethis data, the receiver 1308 initially receives a batch of raw data fromthe data sources. The receiver 1308 stores this batch as raw datarecords 1318.

The converter 1310 receives the raw data records 1318 and converts thisraw data into “source” (src) data. FIG. 13 illustrates this converteddata as src data records 1320. During the conversion, the converter 1310computes a hash (e.g., MD5) of the raw data records 1318. This hashvalue creates an artificial primary key for each data record, whichserves to uniquely identify each data record. By doing so, the converter1310 allows the data to be annotated and indexed by its originating datasource. This data conversion, also includes converting source-systemtimestamps of the data into GIW-formatted timestamps.

After this conversion, the GIW database 142 receives the src datarecords 1320. Briefly, the one or more source tables 1312 are purged ofany old data from a prior load, receive the new src data records, andthen provide them to the one or more staging tables 1314. Authorizedpersonnel can then search the staging tables and generate reports basedon the information contained therein.

More specifically, the one or more source tables 1312 receive the srcdata records 1320 and build an inventory 1322 that contains thisreceived batch of data records, FIG. 13 differentiates the data recordswithin the source table inventory 1322 by representing them as SRC datarecords 1324. The inventory 1322 within the source tables 1312 generallyprovides the received batch of data records to the one or more stagingtables 1314.

The staging tables 1314 thus receive the SRC data records 1324 andcreate an inventory 1326 that includes these records. At this point, thedata records are designated as staging (STG) data records 1328. Thestaging table inventory 1326 operates to allow authorized personnel tosearch and generate desired reports from the data records therein.

By receiving batches of data records and providing each batch to thestaging tables 1314, the source tables 1312 serve as a buffer betweenthe source data systems and the staging tables 1314. This demarcationbetween tables thus helps to avoid introduction of invalid data from thesource systems into the staging tables 1314. In turn, this demarcationhelps to avoid introduction of invalid data into reports actuallygenerated by the authorized personnel.

As stated above, the source tables 1312 generally receive batches ofdata records and provide these data records to the staging tables. Uponreceiving a new batch of data records, the source tables 1312 generallydelete the previous batch in order to make room for the new batch.Maintaining a batch of data records in the source tables until a newbatch arrives allows administrators to perform debugging in the sourcetables if the administrators encounter problems with the data. Theinventory 1326 within the staging tables, meanwhile, not only containsup-to-date and correct information, but also a history of thatinformation. As such, the staging-table inventory 1326 generally doesnot delete data records, but rather tracks changes to the data as thechanges occur.

To illustrate, the staging tables 1314 first receive the SRC datarecords 1324 from the source tables 1312 and, with the data, generateand maintain the inventory 1326. Again, this inventory 1326 includes STGdata records 1328. As mentioned above, however, information pertainingto source systems will generally change with time. For instance, alocation of a hardware asset may change. The inventory 1326 of STG datarecords should accordingly be updated to reflect these changes, whilestill maintaining a history of previous locations of the hardware asset.The refresher 1316 in conjunction with the SRC and STG data recordsupdates the inventory 1326 in this manner.

The refresher 1316 may be configured to refresh STG data records 1328when a change to a corresponding SRC data record 1324 occurs or,conversely, after a predefined amount of time. In the latter instances,the refresher 1316 initially compares the STG data records tocorresponding SRC data records and counts a percentage of the formerthat should be refreshed. If this percentage is greater than apre-configured threshold value, then the refresher 1316 aborts therefreshing process. If this percentage is less, however, then therefresher proceeds with the refreshing process.

The refresher 1316 first closes any open STG data records that don'tcorrespond to an SRC data record in the source table inventory 1322. Therefresher then refreshes the remaining STG data records with data fromcorresponding SRC data records. In some instances, the refresher matchescorresponding records based on each record's hash value computed by theconverter. The refresher may also match corresponding records by merelycomparing the record values,

After matching corresponding SRC and STG data records, the refresher1316 may utilize a technique known as “milestoning”. This techniquebegins by tagging each data record with a “start date” and an “enddate”. The start date generally corresponds to when the data record wasinserted into the inventory, while the end date generally corresponds tothe time at which the data record should no longer be considered “live”,“current”, or “up-to-date”. If a record's end date has passed, then therefresher may know to update the data record. Of course, thismilestoning technique is exemplary and other techniques may be utilized.For instance, in a “snapshot” technique, the refresher merely compares aprevious snapshot of the staging table inventory 1326 to a currentsnapshot, and updates the inventory 1326 based on the difference.

In addition to updating existing records, the refresher 1316 creates anew STG data record for any SRC data record created since the lastrefreshing process. The refresher 1316 also inserts these new datarecords into the staging table inventory 1326. This refreshing processthus ensures that the staging table inventory 1326 contains the mostup-to-date information. Importantly, the STG data records and thestaging table inventory 1326 also maintain the information present inthe inventory 1326 before the above-described refreshing process.

The inventory 1326 within the staging tables 1314 thus represents all orsubstantially all of the data received from the source systems. Thisconsolidated inventory maintains a history of this data, even as itchanges with time. For instance, any change to a location of a hardware,software, or telecommunications asset will be noted. Both locations,however, will be stored within the inventory 1326, thus facilitating thereporting of this history should authorized personnel desire suchinformation.

As such, the resulting GIW database 142 allows for customized viewing ofdata corresponding to multiple source systems. Furthermore, this viewingmay be customized at any level of granularity, including customizingauthorized personnel's viewing of individual data fields within a singledata record. Such a database allows these personnel to find datadiscrepancies within source systems by cross-referencing each system.The GIW database 142 also enables searching and reporting of historicaldata. Finally, note that the detailed information within STG datarecords 1328 enables the reporting of substantially all reasonablyuseful information pertaining to the source systems. This informationnot only includes physical locations of distributed assets, but alsoexception information created during one or more reconciliationprocesses.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary process 1400 for receiving a datarecord from a source system and storing the record in the GIW database142. Source system “Alpha” 1402, containing an exemplary batch of datarecords labeled “Set”, represents the exemplary source system. Data flowarrow 1404 represents the receiver 1308 first receiving the “Set” datarecords as raw data labeled “File Set-raw.txt”. The converter 1310 thenreceives and converts this batch of data records into src data labeled“File Set-src.txt”, as data flow arrow 1406 represents. Data flow arrow1408 illustrates the converter 1310 then providing this data to thesource table 1312 of the GIW database 142.

After receiving the hatch of data records, the source table stores andentitles this batch as “T_SRC_Alpha_Set”, Any prior data in“T_SRC_Alpha_Set” is initially purged before storing this new batch ofrecords. The first portion of the title (T_SRC) identifies the recordsas being stored within the source table 1312. The middle (Alpha) andlatter (Set) portions, meanwhile, identify the batch of data recordswith its corresponding system and its initial hatch name. The sourcetable 1312 or the refresher 1316 then provides these data records to thestaging table 1314, which stores the batch of data records as“T_STG_Alpha_Set”. Data flow arrow 1410 represents this operation.Again, the former portion of the “T_STG_Alpha_Set” label identifies thisbatch of data records as being stored within the staging table 1314.

In accordance with this exemplary process 1400, the staging tableinventory 1326 contains data records corresponding to the “Set” batch offiles from the “Alpha” source system. Each batch of data records fromeach source system within an organization may likewise be included inthis inventory, via process 1400 or the like. As such, the staging tableinventory 1326 may contain an identification of all or substantially allof the organization's hardware, software, and telecommunications assets,as well an identification of physical locations of these assets. Again,this inventory may also include other information, such as exceptioninformation generated during one or more reconciliation processes.

Inventory Management Processes

FIG. 15 shows a process 1500 for managing and utilizing the applicationdirectory 120 and the GIW 122. The process 1500 is described withreference to the architecture, systems, and UIs of FIGS. 1-14 but may beimplemented in many other ways. At 1502, an inventory of applicationsand other assets distributed throughout an organization is maintained.In part due to the registration process, the inventory is keptup-to-date and accurately reflects the current deployment ofapplications in the organization. Moreover, at 1504, operational data iscollected from deployed applications on an ongoing basis. Suchinformation may be supplied by software and hardware components, and mayinclude such data as usage, load, failure conditions, aging, and soforth. In this manner, the inventory provides a robust and currentknowledge source of all applications within the organization.

The inventory may be used effectively in many different ways. Threedifferent scenarios are shown in FIG. 15, but these scenarios are merelyillustrative and are not intended to be limiting. In one scenario,authorized personnel (e.g., IT department, BCP members, developers,etc.) may mine the inventory to learn what applications and other assetsare deployed in the organization. Such personnel may employ a UI todefine a search of the inventory for certain assets that meet the searchcriteria. One example UI is illustrated in FIG. 2, where the userpermitted to search applications by tier (i.e., criticality), location,division, category, and owner. Many other search criteria may beemployed.

At 1506, the search request is received and processed. Suppose, forexample, the search personnel wants to know what assets are deployed onthe 36^(th) floor of a building in Hong Kong, as represented in theenvironment 100 of FIG. 1. A search request may be defined with suchgranularity to find all such assets that are deployed at this physicallocation in Hong Kong. At 1508, the inventory is searched responsive tothis request. The searching may be conducted on the applicationdirectory database 430, or alternatively on the GIW database 142.

At 1510, a listing of assets from the inventory that satisfy the searchis presented. This listing may be presented in a UT, such as the oneexample shown in FIG. 3. Being able to call up all applications andother assets that meet a certain criteria is very useful in many ways.For instance, following a disruption at a particular location, the BCPteam may wish identify all assets deployed in the particular locationand rebuild the functionality elsewhere. As another example, spaceplanners may need to move a department from one physical location to anew physical location. By mining the inventory to identify the assetsaffected by the move, the space planners can take steps to ensure thefunctionality is available elsewhere during this transition and minimizethe time that the assets are down.

In another scenario shown in FIG. 15, authorized personnel using thereconciliation framework can reconcile records in the inventory withdata from other sources in the architecture to ensure accuracy and dataintegrity in the inventory. Thus, at 1512, a reconciliation process maybe performed on the inventory.

In still anther scenario shown in FIG. 15, different personnel may usethe inventory to manage the applications and other assets at 1514. Forinstance, suppose the IT department wants to upgrade all applications ina systematic way. An IT team member may conduct a search forapplications based on age or lifecycle criteria to identify whichapplications are suitable for upgrade or replacement. As anotherexample, suppose the IT department wishes to evaluate the applicationsfor usage and load. By maintaining an accurate and up-to-date inventoryof applications, including usage and load, actions may be taken toanticipate and prevent potential problems such as application failure.

CONCLUSION

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms ofimplementing the claims.

1. A global inventory processor-implemented method, comprising:obtaining, via a processor, source data records identifying distributedassets; accessing a searchable staging table comprising a plurality ofstaging data records; generating hash values related to the source datarecords; associating the hash values to corresponding source datarecords; comparing the staging data records in the staging table withthe obtained source data records using the hash values; determining apercentage of the staging data records that need to be updated based onthe comparison of the staging data records with the source data records;comparing the percentage with an update threshold value; and updatingthe staging data records based on the comparison of the percentage withthe update threshold value.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving a query related to an asset; searching the stagingtable in response to the query; and providing information in response tothe query based on searching the staging table.
 3. The method of claim1, further comprising: associating start and end dates with the sourceand staging data records for use in update percentage determination. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the staging data records are updated ifthe percentage is less than the update threshold value.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the distributed assets comprise hardware, software andtelecommunications assets.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sourcedata records identifying software assets include information related towhere the software assets reside.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thestaging table further comprises exception information related to priorupdates of the staging table.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thesource data records are automatically obtained periodically.
 9. A globalinventory system, comprising: a processor; and a memory disposed incommunication with the processor and storing processor-executableinstructions, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to: obtainsource data records identifying distributed assets; access a searchablestaging table comprising a plurality of staging data records; generatehash values related to the source data records; associate the hashvalues to corresponding source data records; and compare the stagingdata records in the staging table with the obtained source data recordsusing the hash values; determine a percentage of the staging datarecords that need to be updated based on the comparison of the stagingdata records with the source data records; compare the percentage withan update threshold value; and update the staging data records based onthe comparison of the percentage with the update threshold value. 10.The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions further compriseinstructions to: receive a query related to an asset; search the stagingtable in response to the query; and provide information in response tothe query based on searching the staging table.
 11. The system of claim9, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to: associatestart and end dates with the source and staging data records for use inupdate percentage determination.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein theinstructions further comprise instructions to: update the staging datarecords if the percentage is less than the update threshold value. 13.The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions further compriseinstructions to: automatically obtain the source data recordsperiodically.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the distributed assetscomprise hardware, software and telecommunications assets.
 15. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the source data records identifying softwareassets include information related to where the software assets reside.16. The system of claim 9, wherein the staging table further comprisesexception information related to prior updates of the staging table. 17.An asset relationship determination processor-implemented method,comprising: obtaining source data records related to distributed assets;accessing a searchable staging table comprising a plurality of stagingdata records; comparing the staging data records with the source datarecords; determining a percentage of the staging data records that needto be updated based on the comparison of the staging data records withthe source data records; comparing the percentage with an updatethreshold value; updating the staging data records based on comparingthe staging data records with the source data records when thepercentage is less than the update threshold value; and building via aprocessor relationships between the assets based on extracting featuresof the assets from the updated staging data records.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising: comparing the features of the assets witheach other; identifying relationships between the assets based oncomparing the features of the assets with each other; and storinginformation for the updated staging records related to the commonfeatures in the staging table.
 19. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising: receiving a query related to an asset; searching the stagingtable in response to the query; and providing information related torelationships of the asset in response to the query based on searchingthe staging table.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the distributedassets comprise hardware, software and telecommunications assets. 21.The method of claim 20, wherein the source data records includeinformation related to communication networks with which the assets aredisposed in communication.
 22. The method of claim 17, wherein thesource data records include information related to physical locations ofthe assets.
 23. An inventory evolution tracking processor-implementedmethod, comprising: obtaining source data records related to distributedassets; generating timestamps associated with the source data records;accessing a searchable staging table comprising a plurality of stagingdata records; associating start and end dates with the source andstaging data records for use in update percentage determination;determining a percentage of the staging data records that need to beupdated based on a comparison of the staging data records with thesource data records; comparing the percentage with an update thresholdvalue; generating updated staging data records when the percentage isless than the update threshold value; and tracking inventory evolutionvia a processor based on the comparison of the staging data records withthe source data records.
 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:identifying staging data records that need to be updated based oncomparing the staging data records with the source data records;generating updated staging data records with data from the source datarecords based on comparing the staging data records with the source datarecords; and storing the updated staging data records as supplementalinformation related to the staging data records.
 25. The method of claim23, further comprising: receiving a query related to an asset; searchingthe staging table in response to the query; and providing informationrelated to evolution of the asset in response to the query based onsearching the staging table.
 26. The method of claim 23, wherein thedistributed assets comprise hardware, software and telecommunicationsassets.
 27. The method of claim 23, wherein the source data recordsinclude information related to physical locations of the assets.